I Never Changes My Altitude

This cartoon is interesting for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that opening 3-D stereo-optical shot that starts off the cartoon. This is also interesting in that I believe it's the first one where Olive is fickled, as the cartoon begins with Popeye reading a "Dear John" letter from Olive where she explains that she's left him for Bluto. As in POPEYE THE SAILOR MEETS ALI BABA'S FORTY THIEVES (which was nearing completion around the time this cartoon was released) ) rather than ravage Olive's body, Bluto puts her to work painting his plane while he flies around in it(the FORTY THIEVES force her to do their laundry). I always took the concept of Olive's various kidnappers putting her to work as the Fleischers way of lampooning how "wholesome" their pictures had to be under the Hays Code, the Hollywood censorship policies, which all but destroyed the Fleischer's earlier iconic superstar & sex symbol, Betty Boop(who had to start wearing longer skirts in the cartoons). Once the Fleischers left the Popeye cartoons (around the beginning of the U.S. involvementin WWII) Olive's whole character became that of a fickled woman who leaves Popeye for Bluto in virtually every cartoon, instead of the fleshed out character she is in these early shorts. I really like the umbrella gag in this cartoon too.

I Never Changes My Altitude (1937)

*** (out of 4)

As this short starts off, Popeye is crying because he received a letter from Olive Oyl saying she's left him for an aviator. Soon she's in terror because of his mean ways so Popeye must come to the rescue.

Surely I'm not the only fan of this series who watches shorts like this and wonders why Popeye even puts up with Olive Oyl's attitude. For whatever his reason, Popeeye decides to go into battle with Bluto as the two take the air to straighten things out. For the most part this isn't the greatest short in the series but as usual the animation is terrific and certainly helps keep the film going. There are some creative scenes in the sky and especially when Popeye feeds spinach to a duck.

Olive Oyl has flown the coop with aviator Bluto. Popeye is broken hearted. Then he spots Olive being mistreated by Bluto in the air, and takes off in a plane after them. Olive gets to safety while the two guys fight like junior birdmen.

Director Dave Fleischer was fond of packing as many gags as possible into his cartoons, and this is a fine example of that. To make things even better, the movie starts with one of the better example of the Fleischer's. Tabletop Process a technique that lends a real sense of three dimensions to this cartoon.

We think of Walt Disney as a great innovator in cartoons, and he was quick to latch onto new techniques. At Fleischer, they invented them.

Olive Oyle out of business for the love to an aviator, airplanes, old fights between Popeye and Bluto, the generosity of the first to a seagull and the so expected end. An easy short film in which the fly of airplanes remains the basic source of seduction.

This is a marvelous short. Olive runs off with Bluto (again) and it turns out badly for her (again-will she never learn? Will Popeye?) until Popeye flies to the rescue. Visually wonderful, as Fleischer shorts usually were. Originally in black and white, this was colorized. Black and white is much better. These were drawn for black and white. The requirements for color are different. But what can you expect in a world where, on the packaging for Young Frankenstein, the pictures are in color? *SIGH* This short is well worth looking for and most recommended.